Pathways
by The Storytelling Maunderer
Summary: It took one messed up journey to destroy my sense of trust, nine Pokémon to mess up my sense of truth, and one year to find my role in a story too big to be mine alone. In other words, a story about a bumbling kid on a journey.
1. Directions can only take you so far

**Chapter 1**: Directions (can only take you so far)

-: ]

_I was about to be killed. About to be sucked into a vortex of sand on a lonely desert night, where no one would hear me even if I did scream. I was scrambling for the sky, grabbing fistfuls of sand, only to get dragged in further. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I was supposed to be starting my Pokémon journey. My thoughts whirled around the way I'd said goodnight to my parents. They probably still thought I was asleep in bed, feeling upset that they still wouldn't let me leave. And then I remembered promising to meet my best friend in Slateport City. How long would she wait? How long would it be before anyone knew I had died out here in the desert due to my own stupidity?_

_In the center of the swirling sand there was something orange and sharp. A Pokémon. What was it again? It started with a T, come on, I knew this, a T, a Tra…_

_My head was suddenly covered by sand, and I couldn't breathe. For whatever reason, I went numb._

-:]

I was literally standing at the crossroad that would determine my life's path. I was too scared to go back at this point even though the cold night air was a little less welcoming than usual as it penetrated through the thin fabric of my jacket. The sign that had stood to tell passing trainers which road lead to Slateport and which lead to Route 112 had long since been moved to the entrance of town, but I was disoriented and entirely map-less.

A lamplight flickered above me, as if urging me on, and I shuffled uncomfortably. Doubt was crawling through every inch of my body. "_Go home_." It said. "_It's safe there, it's warm, your bed is waiting for you. Go home and wake up to a happy place with a warm breakfast and a loving family. You don't belong out here."_

Being left-handed, I chose left. I had always harbored some inward belief that my trust in the left would bring me good fortune.

I walked for a while, maybe more than a while, passing houses and eventually making it onto the fresh green grass of a Route. Hopefully it was the right one. A long path was spread out before me, and I was a little groggy but otherwise getting excited. This was it. The real start of my Pokémon Journey. I was leaving Mauville City and I wouldn't return until I had at least two badges. "Off we go." I whispered, wanting to commemorate the moment somehow.

There was only one time that I stopped walking, and it was to tie a rogue shoelace that had been mildly irritating until I tripped over it while staring at the sky. The clouds were gathering around the moon, silvery and enchanting. I could have sworn I'd seen something large flying, but I could have been wrong.

In all honesty, it was probably the only thing I wasn't wrong about that night.

When my shoes found sand and the grains began to fill their insides, I figured I had made it to the beach. I just needed to find Slateport itself. Naively, I kept walking, searching for the ocean or some kind of sign that I hadn't taken a bad turn.

Then I tripped and the sand swallowed me up.

-:]

_"Oh dear sweet mother of Mew, there's a-!"_

_Sand slid from my body as I was pulled up, but I felt more like I was floating than being pulled up. A vague, giddy thought that I was having a psychic type move used on me suddenly popped into my head._

_"It's a good thing you were here, little guy- are you hers? What was she thinking bringing you to a place like this? Is she a rookie or something?"_

_Suddenly, I was placed on something soft and warm. I curled myself into it, relishing the comfort and wishing I could lift my arms to wipe sand off of me. When I was no longer being lifted, I felt devastatingly heavy. I wanted to go to sleep._

_So I did._

**-: ]**

The soft crackle and hum of a radio woke me up. I threw a hand lazily over my head to cover my face from the light peeking in through the shutters. If I didn't know it were summer, I would've thought I was late for school. My blanket started to slip off and I grabbed at it to pull it back on.

Then it squawked.

My eyes shot open and I realized how crusty they were before I could even reach for my glasses. Where were my glasses? They should be on my bedside table, but my bedside table was at home, and I couldn't be at home because my blanket had just squawked…

First things first, I needed to wipe my eyes.

"Here." Familiar cold metal was pressed against my arm and I gratefully took my glasses with a raspy thanks.

With clear vision and sand-free eyes, I was set to check out my surroundings. The soft _thing_ I was leaning against was flesh, and that flesh was covered by brown feathers. It had a wing- presumably my blanket. It was a Fearow, and upon meeting its eyes, it cooed at me and tried to push me back onto its warm flank with one wing. I tried to shy away, unnerved by the large, lethal looking bird.

"You don't have to do that anymore, Cuddles, the kid's had enough rest."

I turned and saw that a few feet away was a girl who seemed to be in her older teams, resting comfortable on a bean bag with a Volbeat buzzing around her head. In one hand, she held an outdated gaming device, and in the other, a water bottle.

"Catch." She threw the water bottle and I fumbled with it a bit before I could hold onto it securely. "Drink up, kiddo. I'm overloaded with questions and you're going to need the voice to give the answers."

The water hurt my dried out throat, but I downed it anyway and felt better afterwards.

"Do you know where we are right now?"

Scanning the area, I noticed the plush rugs and vibrant posters on the floor and walls. There was inexpensive looking furniture strewn about, and Pokémon strewn about the furniture, so I made an educated guess and assumed we were in the girl's secret base. I relayed my guess to her and she scoffed.

"Not the specifics, but where we are. Outside." She flipped a long black braid behind her shoulder and the Volbeat put it back, playing with it.

"We're..." I bit my lip. Had I really been going to Slateport? Although, really, on that Fearow, she could've taken me anywhere. I tried to peek outside and only saw that the entrance was covered by a loose white sheet, which I had initially mistaken for shutters in my sleep-induced stupor.

"On Route 112. The Desert Route. You could have died last night, you know."

I felt a chill pass through me. "Yeah."

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair much like an old man would. "More than that, you could have gotten your Minun killed." At the mention of my starter, my hand flew to my pocket and I was immensely relieved to find that her pokeball was still there. "She was the one who escaped and got my attention, but what if she hadn't? A low-level electric type left alone in a desert chock full of predatory ground and rock types- how do you think that would have turned out?"

Lost for words, I shrugged unevenly and avoided eye contact. I hadn't thought… I hadn't remembered that I was responsible for two lives now. The realization struck me in the chest a lot harder than I thought it could.

The older trainer's voice spoke with a slightly softer tone. "Ok, then tell me how long you've been on this little adventure. Are you a runaway?"

"I started last night." I answered thickly. "I don't want to go back yet. I just need another… another chance…" My eyes faced the ground, and I stiffened when the Fearow's wing brushed against my back. The guilty feeling in the back of my gut was rising further every time the girl spoke, and every time I spoke.

She finally caught her Volbeat to make it stop playing with her braid, and she held it still while she visibly fell deep into thought. It seemed like forever before she acknowledged me again. "I won't make you go home." She finally said. "But I will need to make sure you're on the right path if I let you go. Just- stay here a while. Cuddles, come on, we're going out for a bit."

Cuddles stood, shook its gigantic brown wings, and loyally walked right up to her. When it stood, I could see fully just how big it was- its long, crooked neck had straightened out a bit and the red comb on its head brushed against the ceiling of the secret base. Sharp eyes lead to a sharper beak, which shared a pinkish color with the feet and talons that looked ready to rip my head off as if it were a paper balloon on a string. Cuddles indeed.

"Where are you going?" I stood as she got up, immediately getting pulled down by the Volbeat.

"Out. Stay here if you don't want to be subjected to midday Route 112. It's hell out there."

I gulped.

"Rory, take care of Kid over here." She said to the Volbeat. "I'll be back before dark, and I'm trusting you to make sure the kid's fed and comfortable because I do not want to get accused as a kidnapper this time."

I watched the Volbeat float back and forth, buzzing and then saluting her. This trainer had trained her Pokémon well. The whole 'this time' of the kidnapping thing wasn't going to be the best thing to bring up when my life was in her hands, then.

The girl muttered directions I was sure to forget while putting on a thin coat and goggles. "If someone finds this place, tell them your sister left you here while she was out getting supplies, and pretend to be a better trainer or something of the like. Let your Minun out but don't let her leave the cave, either. There's food in the back- ask Rory when you're hungry and he'll bring it, he's smarter than he lets on- and your backpack's there, too. It's filled with sand, but otherwise not too bad. Keep alert- if something wild comes in-" she snapped on her goggles and then proceeded to put some on her Fearow, to my surprise. "-Rory can take care of it as long as you don't panic. I'll see you later." With that, she walked straight out of the cave, brushing aside the curtain for her Fearow to pass and revealing that a thicker sheet of plastic was behind the sheet. A small rush of sand flew in, and then she was gone.

**-: ]**

My Minun wasn't happy to see me when I let her out of her pokeball. I wasn't surprised. She had never been happy to see that she was in the possession of a naïve human child. I was just happy to see a familiar face after almost getting eaten, then being verbally attacked by an experienced trainer.

Nevertheless, my Minun was even less happy when I pulled her into a hug and thanked her for saving me.

"My!" She shouted, then proceeded to pace around the cave, presumably ranting about my actions while I sat on my knees alongside the Volbeat named Rory and wished I could understand anything either of them said.

"Are you hungry?" I chirped at her, and she paused only to glare, furious that I had interrupted. I had always been at least a little bit amused that a creature with such an innocent face could make such an expression. She was always doing quirky little things I didn't expect. Sometimes, she'd spark from the blue patches on her cheeks when she was irritated, and when she was really mad the electricity ran threateningly and wildly from her cheeks to her minus-shaped tail.

"I guess that's a yes."

I walked over to the back of the cave, still finding that I left a trail of sand from my clothes everywhere I went. There was, as the girl had said, my backpack and some food in a large plastic trash bag. I pulled out my backpack and slipped it on, then pulled some water and crackers out of the bag. All the while, Rory kept near. He was a curious little- well, big bug.

Plopping down onto one of the pillows in the cave, I got comfortable and Minun came up to me for some of the crackers. While she nibbled on a cracker like the rabbit she was, I reached out and tentatively laid my hand on her head. She stopped to look at me, then pushed her head past my hand and let me rub her ear. Her fur was soft like a stuffed toy's would be. Rory came close and begged for attention upon seeing me bond with my starter.

I silently proceeded to pet his head as well. The weight of my hand pushed him down out of the air ever-so-slightly.

Peaceful moments like these were the ones I had left home for. Granted, I wasn't in the best situation, but I was still alive. I didn't plan on telling my mom about this whole getting saved from near-death by a stranger thing if I ever went back.

**-: ]**

"I'm back!" The girl with the braid returned with much more energy than before, while Cuddles the Fearow simply looked tired and quickly retreated to a corner of torn up pillows I had assumed was its nest of sorts.

"Hi!" I greeted her softly, clipping my pencil onto the notebook I had retrieved from my sandy backpack. Minun was gracelessly napping with her mouth wide open right next to me.

"As I expected, my little guard-bug fell asleep on duty." She walked right past me to pick up Rory off of the carpet and place him next to Cuddles.

I faltered before saying, "Isn't that kinda scary?"

She blinked at me owlishly.

"He could… he's a bird, and he's a bug, so…"

The girl blinked again, and then snickered at me. "It doesn't work like that on this team. Cuddles is named as such for a reason."

"Oh."

"What about you with naming Pokémon? Besides saying 'Minun' strangely, you ever thought of nicknaming one? Me and my friends have always named our first caught- not our starters, mind you- after food. That's how I ended up with a Magnezone named Parmesan." She sat across from me on a bean bag chair- the amount of squishy things in this base was astounding- and put her giant backpack in between us.

I shrugged and fiddled with my notebook uncomfortably.

"…You're kind of a shy one, aren't you? That's fine. On the topic of names, I'm Penelope. Nineteen years old and still going strong as a trainer. I'm sure you've realized this, but my Fearow's name is Cuddles. She's my starter, and she's been with me the whole time. Parmesan was my second and he's with a friend. You know Rory, and he's new."

I stayed silent, expecting her to say more.

"Your turn. Give me your life story or something. How'd you get your starter, for one?"

"That's… kind of a story."

"Or you just want to avoid talking. That's fine, that's fine. I must've scared you earlier, but you don't have to worry. It's just not every day I find a newbie about to be killed in the middle of the desert." Penelope opened the pack and rummaged through it.

"I hate reading about kids in the paper who got killed because they did something incredibly stupid. They're probably going to pass some kind of law about trainers of ages one of these days. Technology is really deteriorating common sense. You're proof enough of that."

I remembered my mom saying something similar in a much nicer way and felt a pang of guilt.

"You're also incredibly lucky. I feel like this is what happens in those crazy memoirs of Pokémon Journeys that older trainers are writing. Remember to mention me if you ever write one of those so I can show it off to everyone I know." She had pulled several coats out of the pack before she finally pulled out… another backpack. "I brought this for you." She said, handing it to me.

It was my turn to blink at her as if she were speaking another language. "Huh?"

"It's pretty much weatherproof, and big enough to store your current backpack inside. That thing you've got now can carry schoolbooks, not accompany you on a Pokémon Journey." She kept on rummaging and I held the black, rubbery-yet-soft backpack like it was gold.

"I can't. This is yours." I tried to hand it back.

"Don't be ridiculous. That thing's one of my old ones. I never liked the plain ones so I didn't use it and it would have just sat there, gathering dust in one of my other secret bases." She handed me a baseball hat with similar color and texture. "Same with this thing."

"Thank you." That was all I could say in reply. Penelope, it seemed, was pushy.

"Yeah, yeah. I'd better take up a good section of that memoir."

I really didn't want to write a memoir.

She stood after zipping the backpack and dug through her pockets. She pulled out a pokeball and showed it to me. "I think you should have this little guy."

"Huh?"

"It's the Trapinch that tried to eat you. I guess you could say that it chose you. Granted, it was as a meal, but it started following me after I saved you so I caught it. I can't exactly afford to take care of a youngling like this, so I might as well give it to you."

I stared at the pokeball longingly. Trapinches were hard to handle, but they evolved into strong partners with a lot of training…

"First, though, I want to hear some of your story. What were you doing, and why." She sat herself back down. "We have until it gets dark for you to tell me anything. I need some kind of payment. You obviously didn't think to bring money, so." Watching her toss the Trapinch's pokeball between her hands as she stared expectantly made me nervous.

"Okay…" I looked to make sure Minun was still asleep before returning her to her pokeball. Although ashamed that I couldn't tell this story in front of my starter, I really owed Penelope a lot. Even my life.

I began to talk. "I guess… actually, I _know_ I've always wanted to go on my own Pokémon Journey. I know everyone does, but unlike most of them, I don't plan on quitting."

**-: ]**

**(A/N)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, Hoenn, or even my own Pokemon. (apparently.)**

**So... uh... chapter 1. Yeah. This fic's gonna be long. Any questions, complaints, la-di-doop-de-bops, etc., you can just go over to that little review button riiiight down there. Yep.**


	2. And even then, you need a destination

Pathways

Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

_-: ]_

"I'm not running away. I'm trying to start my Pokémon Journey." I got the weird feeling that this would be an important part of the memoir that I definitely wasn't going to write. "I've always wanted to go… My home's great, my family's great… but I wanted to go on this journey with my best friend. I was going to meet up with her in Slateport. I didn't even know I was going in the opposite direction… But I'm out of my house, and I'm far enough to keep going, I think."

I paused there, and Penelope, whose expression was unreadable, asked, "What about Minun? Don't make that face, we've got time."

Moving my legs into a criss-cross didn't ease my discomfort over the subject. "Minun… I got her from my dad. He was on a journey once, but quit after a while, left his Pokémon with his family. He asked his old friend to find me a starter. He was okay with me leaving, my mom wasn't. They're common around home and I liked the color better, so I wanted Plusle." I grimaced at my own reasoning and gave another nervous glance to Minun.

"That's..." Penelope interrupted incredulously.

"Yeah, I know it's stupid of me." I replied. "My dad asked his friend to catch me one, but the guy could only find a Minun. My Minun. I was… disappointed." My voice got very quiet.

"I felt that way with Cuddles. The whole cute thing was important, and a feisty little Spearow didn't exactly appeal to a little girl…" she laughed to herself. "Sorry. Keep going."

"I think she knew that whole time. She didn't even want to be a trainer's Pokémon, so…"

"She began to hate you?"

I nodded. "I don't know what to do. I don't feel that way anymore but she won't even look at me unless I have food for her. All I do is mess up."

"Well, that happens with a lot of trainers. I'm sure you'll warm up to each other in time, but remember that you're the trainer and she's the Pokémon. What you do is what will determine your relationship. Quote me on that one."

I nodded halfheartedly and pushed on my aching calves, which were still sore from the previous night. The physical effects were somehow stronger than the mental effects, which were pushed far back in my mind already.

"So what do you plan on doing when you're out and about? Gathering badges, ribbons?" She grinned. "I always preferred battling and badges, so naturally, I've got quite a few by now…"

There wasn't much hesitation in my next response because I'd told this one to plenty of people, be it at school or home. "Maybe both. I dunno. I wanna meet a lot of Pokémon." I turned Minun's pokeball over in my hands, taking comfort in the definite proof that I was a trainer now to try and erase my discomfort about the relationship I shared with my starter.

The light filtering in through the covering of the cave was fading fast, and Penelope noticed when I looked to it anxiously. "I guess it's almost time. Here." She tossed the Trapinch's pokeball to me and I managed to catch it with one hand. "It probably won't try to eat you again. I don't know its gender, but if you get to the next city's Center, any Joy will tell you. Where are you planning on going?"

"Um… Lavaridge." I decided. Going to Slateport would mean passing through Mauville, and I would avoid my hometown at any cost for the time being. I also didn't want this new Trapinch to eat the weaker Pokémon…

"Are you sure? The Pokémon in that area are a little weaker than that Trapinch, but stronger than your Minun, and neither are bound to listen to you right off the bat."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Okay then. Grab your stuff and let's get out of this desert. You have until we reach Route 112 to ask whatever you want, rookie, then I'm ditching you." Penelope herself began to repack her large backpack, albeit with the help of her Volbeat, who had given up on messing with her hair.

There wasn't much for me to pack. I had Minun, a new Trapinch, a backpack, and a lot of sand. I hadn't felt this sandy since I'd last been to a beach and even then there were showers available. A lack of bathrooms would be something to get used to. Once I was ready, I followed Penelope out of her secret base, giving one last wistful glance at the safe haven before I was greeted by the chilly night air of the desert.

"Talk quietly. Even with Cuddles and my other Pokémon here, it's dangerous. There are predatory Pokémon in this desert." The older trainer pet my head as if I were a Poochyena, messing up my hair under the hat she'd given me. "Luckily, the sandstorms die down in the nighttime."

"What other Pokémon do you have?" I whispered, treading through the waves of sand behind her and wondering if it was ok to leave all of these footprints leading to her secret base.

She looked deep in thought while she counted on her fingers. "Let's see… I've got Cuddles the Fearow, Parmesan the Magneton, Zen the Kadabra, Claudia the Altaria… You know Rory, and I've got two Haunters who follow me around sometimes. I call them Lovely 1 and Lovely 2 because they won't tell me their real names or their genders, and I like to say that they're my Lovelies. Last but not least is my Ledian named Windy. He's at home with my parents since he hates traveling."

I mulled over her Pokémon in my head. "So you don't have a theme?"

Penelope scowled. "What are you talking about? Think, what do those Pokémon have in common?"

"Ummm..?"

"They float. The whole lot is able to lift themselves up. It's a comfort thing."

"Oh. Okay." I thought some more and then asked, "What region are you from?"

"Kanto. My hometown's Lavender, the most ghost-infested town a person will ever see. It's gotten better since they got rid of that old cemetery-tower thing… but you can't live there and not meet some kind of ghost a couple times a week. When I was very little, I met my Lovelies there."

We walked in silence for a few minutes, and I struggled to keep up with her. I could have sworn there was more sand in my sneakers than stars in the sky. This weird feeling was in my chest, like I was nervous about something. I kept telling myself I wouldn't die, that I'd be more careful than last night, but there was so much I didn't know, and more than anything, I was just scared. Scared that I'd get eaten or drowned or starved or be killed by an irritated Pokémon without saying goodbye to my family, and that my Minun and new Trapinch would die with me. It'd be my fault if anything happened to them. And if something happened to me, and they had the opportunity to go on without me, would they really save me? Minun had saved me, somehow, once. There were no guarantees I'd be as lucky as I was the night before.

"It's really hard to be a trainer, isn't it?" I asked, wringing my hands to warm them up. I could see a dirt path beyond the rocky cliffs not too far off.

Penelope gave me an incredulous look. "No one ever said it was easy." She laughed to herself. "Didn't you know that most kids quit by the time they've gotten their second badge? If everyone became trainers, society wouldn't be able to run the same way it does. It's a good learning experience to try, though." Only a few more minutes until we reached the pathway, and she'd be gone. Those same minutes were the ones I had to use to decide whether I wanted to go home or not. "Blind luck kept me and my friends alive those first few years, and even now, there are limits to what we can do."

I figured that if I went home now, my parents would be furious with me for leaving… they'd be mad either way, but their rage would fade with time. Minun would hate having to stay back in the house, and the Trapinch probably wouldn't like being a 'pet' either. I would have to go back to school, and would probably never work up the courage to become a trainer again.

The transition between sand and solid ground was surprisingly abrupt. I took one deep breath of the fresh morning air and knew it was almost time to go off on my own.

On the path directly outside of the desert area of Route 111, there was literally a four-way crossroad for me to choose my pathway. The north held the steep mountains rumored to be full of fighting and rock-type specialists, to the east was the desert, to the west was the craggy path nearing Lavaridge town, and to the south was the path back to Mauville.

"Alright, kid, this is as far as we go. As lucky as you were to have me save your life this once and take care of you for a while, that's over. You're out on your own." Penelope straightened her back and pulled out one of her pokeballs, letting out her Fearow, who stared at me curiously. "On the path to the right, towards the trees- you'll find a small station for a cable car lift up the mountain. It's free and pretty safe. Watch out for trainers and wild Pokémon. Don't get melted by a Slugma or anything."

She then scribbled something on a piece of paper with a pencil she took from her pockets, and handed it to me. "That's my Pokenav number. After you take the cable car, Lavaridge is right down the volcano path. When you get to the Pokémon Center, call me so I know you're not dead."

I put the piece of paper into my own pocket and thanked her. To my surprise, she pulled me into a hug when I looked back up at her.

"Seriously, don't die. The last kid I sent off like this…" She sighed deeply and stared at me. "Ok, no more of this. I'm off."

"Bye." I smiled at her and turned to go down the path, looking back only when the wave of air from Cuddles setting off gave me a push onto the path I needed to go down. I was vaguely comforted by the hand that shot up to wave goodbye as Penelope faded into the distance.

I was alone again.


End file.
